Sierra Leone has alluvial diamond fields — not in holes deep underground, but in the rivers, like gold in California’s history. Sierra Leone also has other rare minerals. So, Sierra Leone also has thieves and businessmen who are known to enslave miners and prostitutes.

Claimed and given a European name by the Portuguese, Sierra Leone was held as a colony and a protectorate by the British between the early 1800s and 1961. Under their guidance, the regions and tribes were divided and set against each other. Following independence in 1960, a predictable series of coups and counter-coups followed.

A "Rebel War" started in 1991 which devastated the people, the economy, the infrastructure, and the countryside. The war ended in 2002, after the death and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

The country was limping down a rocky road to stability. Three relatively peaceful elections had been held. With the help of Chinese and Korean businesses, roads and other infrastructure was being rebuilt. The largest sector of the economy is Non-Governmental Organizations — charity.